Daddybration

Last week we celebrated James' Daddy's birthday. I was looking at the pictures and one caught my eye:

James in the past has not been able to successfully blow noisemakers or get enough air into one of the party blowers to straighten it out ... until recently. In this picture, it almost looks to me like he's trying to figure out just where his mouth is and priming it for party noise use. It tickled me to see how excited he got, making them work properly.

Of course, he wasn't the only one getting into the noisemaking act. He had some company:

And oh how he likes being able to keep up with Big Sister. How we loved seeing them showing their love and excitement for their Daddy.

Magic Marker Monday: Shapes

For a long time I could not put posters or pictures on James' walls, as he would pull them off and try to rip and eat them. Then his preschool started sending home his school projects, and I thought "What the hey?" and hung them up with tape. Amazingly, they stay up (unless he has a major temper tantrum, which is rarely).

His room immediately took on a more inhabited, personal look. You could tell a boy lived there. A boy who liked his shapes, was learning his colours, and was excited by:

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of his latest progress with shapes, but James' SHAPE assistant told me last week that James will make his IEP shapes (the lines, circles, and crosses specified in his IEP as precursors to making letters) all by himself just fine on the classroom whiteboard at his afternoon preschool.

We've have some problems getting him to do this on paper. I am wondering if it has to do with the fact that his Dad and I notice him using his left hand more and more and his morning class is still waiting to see what happens his a dominant hand?

I do not discount the novelty and excitement that writing on a whiteboard like a Big Kid can produce! I think it's also time to trot out the chalkboard and a new carton of chalk.

Meanwhile, his sister is busy getting him to write his own name. Okay, *that* is something I should try and capture for posterity.

Visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

 

Getting into SHAPE

I am listening to James working with his SHAPE assistant. He is laughing and singing along to his favourite "walking, walking" song. The tune is like the "Are You Sleeping, Father John?" song. They march, tip toe, and run in circles. What is not to like?

We are working on colours for James. He can say them most of the time, but his matching is not consistent. We also work with his Flash cards, to work on words and sounds. Some cards he really likes, like "happy," "eye," and "apple." Other ones he ignores, such as "noodles," "Heidi," and "oh boy!" We also work on stop and go, as James will run out into the street, looking behind him and laughing at me. It is just a big game to him and one of my worst nightmares.

James also likes to work with the Play Dough, something he wouldn't do at first. He also likes to string beads on a string. He does great, except for that last poke through the bead before he can slide it down the string. After a few "helps" he can do this. Sometimes James will bring out his favourite books for reading, and sometimes the SHAPE asst. will pick the books. I admire so much their patience to work with my son. I learn something new from watching them work together almost every time.